Dinner brings delicious prosperity with year of dragon
As this Chinese New Year indicates the year of the Dragon, Taj Coromandel has organised a 10-day food festival at their restaurant, The Golden Dragon. Executive chef Sujan Mukherjee talks to DT Next about the importance of the festival and the traditional techniques used
Poached seasonal vegetables and exotic mushrooms
CHENNAI: Unravelling the exceptional culinary treasures from Chinese cuisine and wishing a year filled with prosperity and fortune, one of Chennai’s authentic Chinese restaurants Golden Dragon is back with their food festival. Celebrating the Year of Dragon, the Chinese New Year is commemorated on February 10, marking the start of spring.
“It is very important for diners like Golden Dragon that aim to promote the history of the cuisine to celebrate the New Year, as it is an important part of Chinese civilisation. As it is all about homecoming and spending quality time with family and friends, Masterchef Lian Yun Lei and our team have created a few traditional dishes to bring in the essence of celebration here,” says executive chef Sujan Mukherjee. The restaurant’s menu concentrates on Szechuan and Cantonese provinces.
Explaining to DT Next about the traditional delectables of the cuisine, Sujan states, “Though we focus on providing authentic relishes, our dishes are devoid of chilli and over-fermented sauces. The whole menu is light and caters to families mainly. It has a lot of subtlety to it and involves a long cooking process. The dishes have different textures and the natural taste of the ingredients is not overpowered by any sauces because what we eat at home is quite different.” They also have a wide range of unique mushrooms that are popular in China, which also have success stories attached to them.
Starting with the soup, the unique double boiled Monkey head mushroom broth that has cilantro, sesame oil, carrot and broth is light and subtle. The cucumber lemonade huanggua mocktail is refreshing. The diner offers a variety of main courses, both veg and non-veg that involve various culinary techniques. Shuijiao dumplings that are prepared by water poaching are tender and the spicy sauce elevates the overall flavours. The wok smoked morning glory is a traditional dish indicating the incoming of success and wealth. The crispy spring rolls are flaky and flavoursome filling.
(Clockwise) Sujan Mukherjee, Double boiled Monkey head mushroom broth, and Veg spring roll
The handmade steamed longevity noodles made using garlic, soy, sesame oil and scallions are delicious and a must-try. The moon fan jasmine rice cooked with five Chinese spices accompanied by the stir fried chicken with woodear and onions is tasty with succulent chicken pieces. The soft and tender silken tofu with fresh chilli sauce is novel. One of the exotic dishes we tried here is poached seasonal vegetables and varieties of mushrooms cooked with garlic and dry chilli. The mushrooms were cooked to perfection, with a unique sauce.
For the dessert lovers, the traditional Chinese egg tart with orange zest ice cream and almond and honey ice cream is luscious and toothsome.
—Indulge in the traditional feast prepared to enhance the magic of Chinese New Year at Golden Dragon, Taj Coromandel till February 18 for lunch and dinner.
